Word hit the streets recently that there was something up with famous Scotch whisky Black Bottle. What got the tongues wagging was when Black Bottle and 3 Blind Mice founder, Patrick Craig, started telling the people they thought ought to know. They took invited guests on the clandestine route to The Black Bar in the basement of the Cape Town Club. But first, they had to be screened by someone known only as Mr McLeod.
Once inside the vintage themed “speak easy”, their rendezvous included a meeting with Papy the dwarf; the very sassy lady of the house, Miss Ruby; and then Mr Black, the key narrator of the Black Bottle story.
It was at this point that the visitors were told that Black Bottle had gone back to its original black bottle and that the blend had been revised to bring it more in keeping with the blend first launched in 1879. They got to look at the new pack, taste the rich and supremely balanced new blend, and experience how well it worked in cocktails, thanks to mixologist Don Sheehan.
Before leaving the novel and very exciting launch, the guests witnessed the magic arts and listened to live jazz.
Said Taygan Govinden, Black Bottle’s SA marketing manager: “We decided on a very different and dramatic way of introducing the new look and new taste of Black Bottle to selected media and whisky lovers. It was a memorable experience. They loved the drama and of course, the new iteration of Black Bottle.”
The new Black Bottle, retailing for between R240 and R260 per 750ml bottle is now available from liquor outlets countrywide.
Try Black Bottle neat with a dash of water, with your favourite mixer, or in a cocktail such as:
Black Bottle Elderflower Collins
Glass: Hi-ball
Garnish: Lemon zest twist
Ingredients:
1 part Black Bottle whisky
20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
12.5ml elderflower cordial
1 part soda water
Method:
Pour first three ingredients into glass, fill with ice, add soda water, stir, garnish with a lemon zest twist.
Go to www.theblackbar.co.za and enter your details in order to be invited to exclusive Black Bottle events.
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